Parimutuel racing operators are facing increased competition daily. The expansion of casino gambling and the pervasiveness of state run lotteries are hurting the industry. All compete for the public's valuable discretionary dollars. Trends indicate current parimutuel racing operators are losing significant market share.
Current parimutuel race gaming is at a distinct disadvantage to its competition. To win consistently, a player must develop expertise in dog/horse selection or handicapping. In every parimutuel race, hundreds of factors must be evaluated to select or handicap the winning animal(s). Upon handicapping the animals, hundreds of different wagering combinations are then available. Accordingly, acquiring expertise in handicapping and correct wagering selection is a laborious and expensive process. The general public is intimidated. When a novice does come in to wager, they almost always lose money. They rarely come back as repeat wagerers.
However, little expertise is needed to play a slot machine or scratch a lottery ticket. The general public always gravitates towards the easiest option. Therefore, parimutuel racing operators have seen their "handles" (the amount of wagering per night) decrease across the country.
Casinos and lotteries are wildly popular due to their ease of play and availability. Their games including blackjack, roulette, craps, slots, various pick-a-number(s), and scratch tickets are well known and heavily played.
Parimutuel race wagering has seen a decline in playership due to intense competition and inherent difficulty of play. The handicapping process is intimidating especially for novices. Parimutuel race wagering options including win, place, show, quinelas, daily doubles, quinela doubles, perfectas, trifectas, superfectas, twin trifectas, and tri-supers are complicated and difficult.
Unfortunately, the parimutuel race industry has seemed oblivious to its own shortcomings. Their games are based on the arduous requirements of animal handicapping. Their basic wagering options have remained static for decades. The parimutuel race industry is not user friendly. The goal of the invention package games is to make the parimutuel race industry user friendly.
Many methods of games and gaming have been patented in each of the areas involved with the invention. Those areas are parimutuel wagering, blackjack, roulette, craps, lottery, baseball, and combinations of different forms of gambling. However, this prior art does not accomplish the goal of the invention package games.
The area of parimutuel wagering has been issued several patents. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,374,060 (1993) is a method for wagering at a racetrack. This patent relates directly to the static parimutuel race wagering options of win and/or place and/or show and incorporates no other influences from other forms of gaming. U.S. Pat. No. 5,779,547 (1997) is a parimutuel gaming system that requires the establishment of player accounts. This system is unspecific to the games with which it works and offers no new methods for wagering. U.S. Pat. No. 5,476,259 (1993) is a method of playing a live casino table game that combines multiple games with a portion of all wagers going into a parimutuel pool. Individual game rules are not altered. None of the games offered are parimutuel race games or wagers. U.S. Pat. No. 5,795,226 (1996) is a method of playing a betting race game that requires dice and game pieces and is not applicable to the parimutuel race industry. U.S. Pat. No. 3,505,646 is an automatic parimutuel wagering system requiring an electronic device. It offers only current parimutuel race wagers. It does not incorporate influences from any other game or alter any method of wagering.
The area regarding blackjack has received numerous patents. For example(s): U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,823,879 (1998); 5,823,536 (1998); 5,816,575 (1998); 5,810,360 (1998); plus 70 others. These patents apply to blackjack as a card game whether in method of play, as a piece of hardware, or with a game board. These patents do not reformat the game of blackjack for use in the parimutuel race industry.
The area regarding roulette has received numerous patents. For example(s): U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,755,440 (1998); 5,743,798 (1998); 5,540,442 (1996); plus over 50 others. These patents relate to various apparatus for playing roulette, gaming machines, and methods for enhanced roulette styled games. These patents do not reformat the game of roulette for use in the parimutuel race industry.
The area regarding craps has received numerous patents. For example: U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,728,002 (1998); 5,788,240 (1998); 5,823,879 (1998); 5,762,552 (1998); plus 20 others. These patents relate to methods for playing an enhanced craps styled game; combinations of craps with different games other than parimutuel race wagering; apparatus for playing craps; and networked gaming systems offering craps and other games for play other than parimutuel race wagering. These patents do not reformat the game of craps for use in the parimutuel race industry.
The area regarding lotteries has received numerous patents. Approximately 270 patents have been issued relating to many forms of apparatus, forms of tickets, ticket scrapers, methods, video gaming, number selectors, etc. These patents do not reformat lotteries for use in the parimutuel race industry. More importantly, lotteries function on the basis of a random number generator to produce their results. A player of the invention package game in a lottery format has the advantage of using his handicapping skills to improve the odds over random number generation. Additionally in any given race, certain animals have advantages over the other animals. The combination of the player and animal factors make the number generation in the invention package game clearly non-random and differentiates it from the existing prior art.
The area regarding baseball has received numerous patents. Approximately 858 patents have been issued relating to equipment for play, board and simulated games, and many other apparatus. U.S. Pat. No. 5,769,714 (1996) is a method and apparatus for playing a baseball gambling game on an electrical device. This patent does not reformat the game of baseball for use in the parimutuel race industry.
The area regarding combinations of different forms of gaming has received numerous patents. For example: U.S. Pat. No. 5,788,240 (1997) is a method for combining keno and craps. This patent requires both dice and a game board, allows wagers on all possible combinations, and does not establish an ongoing betting pool; U.S. Pat. No. 5,782,472 (1998) is a combination of a game of chance and craps requiring cards, dice, and a game board. It is not applicable to parimutuel race wagering; U.S. Pat. No. 5,758,878 (1998) is a combination of baccarat and craps requiring cards, dice and a game board. It is not applicable to parimutuel race wagering; U.S. Pat. No. 5,695,192 (1997) is a method of craps qualified by blackjack requiring cards, dice and a game board. It is not applicable to parimutuel race wagering; U.S. Pat. No. 5,669,606 (1997) is a method of craps qualified by baccarat requiring cards, dice and a game board. It is not applicable to parimutuel race wagering; U.S. Pat. No. 4,288,077 (1980) is a horse race lottery game requiring game pieces, random drawings by players, and a game board and is not applicable to the parimutuel race industry; U.S. Pat. No. 5,518,239 (1994) is a lottery racing sweepstakes based upon generating and assigning random numbers to players upon payment with winning determined by comparing race results to the assigned numbers. There is no selection of numbers by players; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,560,603 (1996) is a combined slot machine and racing game requiring slot machines, a display of some racing element driven by slot results, and a display of the racing activity of the elements. It is not applicable to the parimutuel race industry.
Therefore, the precedent exists for issuing patents on combinations of different forms of gaming. However, the combination of the invention package games to the parimutuel race industry has no precedent or infringement on existing prior art.